The prison mirror. [volume] (Stillwater, Minn.) 1887-1894, 1887-12-07

~ Lae E1elsaslOn OF Liquor 10 Cflnle.77
Editor Mirror:
After carefully and studiously perusing
for the seventh time the article entitled
1.-The Relation of Liquor to Crime" penned
by my esteemed neighbor, &c. E." my
mind has been in decidedly melancholy,
respondent and uncertain condition. MY
melancholy and dependency is caused by
the thought that possibly. through all these
| cal sprees. l have been carrying false i'm
preston Of my real self. My uncertainty
is occasioned by the thought thai the STAN
dard OF conviction ventilated by ''G. E." is
ton than l suspected. l sincerely trust
such is not the case. not alone on my
account, but l have seen and heard people
do and say many things while under the
influence of liquor whom l knew would
no more be capable Of doing and saying the
same things in their sober minds than l,
at this moment. would be capable of taking
entire and reliable control of the United
States navy Il know OF no better compari-
son. If practical experience is considered
authority on this subject, then, indeed am
l authority. have had the misfortune in
the course of my life. of having drank to
excess with all classes and conditions of
men and (ahemD ''boys." and mind you,
my dear, darling and doubtless delinquents,
it would not be well for you to remind some
of them of their mistakes made at such
times.
think that &c. E." has got things a
little mixed. l know men whe were never
drunk in their lives will, when they get into
trouble of a criminal nature. plead drunk at
the time. because they know that drunk
ness always was and always will be con-
sidered mitigating circumstance in every
case where the fact is satisfactorily estab-
lshed Again, L know persons who are
addicted to excessive drinking. imagine that
they have license to do and say things
that if done or said at other times they
would expect to be held accountable for.
l admit that l, myself, have taken advan-
tage OF this imaginary license to escape re-
suits that would otherwise prove disastrous
to me, and in some cases to Others. 10
make this point more clear to the boys, l
will relate little story that [ once told to
girl who accused me of proposing marriage
to her on an occasion when [ was labOr.ng
under the effects arising from the too fire.
Quent and too cOpiOus pOtatiOnS taken on
the particular day in question. 1t some of
the boys will commit this story to memory
they will never regret it, unless, indeed.
they are contemplating connection with our
| total abstinence society.
In the year seventeen hun dred-andI-f for
get, in the village of YOnkers. on the Hud
son, in the state of New York, was situated
a distillery. The proprietor of said dis
tillery had, among his other possessions a
cat, on whom he would at any time bet
four dollars and half against a continental
postage stamp that he (that is the cat, y
would naver let mouse or rat get away
alive if he ithe cat once got his eye on
it. In this he was destined to be disap-
pointed. On summer afternoon the cat,
feeling unusually indolent and in cOnse-
quence less alert. walked out into the front
yard and laid down under shady tree and
soon fell asleep. The cat had been gone
but a short time when little mouse
popped it's head out of his hole. looked
around. and not seeing it's dreaded enemy in
sight skipped around, foraging for some
thing to eat. On previous occasions the
mouse cautiously confined his explorations
to narrow limits but emboldened by the
prolonged absence of the cat he extended
his boundary so far as to climb one of the
went gleefuly skipping around the edge.
when suddenly there was slip and a